Smoky Mountains

Smokies were to be a vacation trip, a travel break from all the traveling. And just how do you take a ‘travel break’ from traveling? This is how – you don’t prepare, you don’t plan, you don’t pack. You avoid airport security lines, you avoid having to be anywhere on time. You hop into the car and you just go.

A Rand McNally is all you need. Alas, but we were spoiled enough to carry our GPS and our laptop, just in case. A quick look at the atlas suggested a night halt in Savannah, GA. So that’s how much we planned for the day… We stopped at a grocery store to buy snacks and at a mall to buy clothes and other necessities that we could have, you know, thrown in. But that would mean preparation, even if very little...

The most haunted city, Savannah, was worth the visit.
Although we did not reach in time for any ghost tours, we enjoyed every bit of East River Street -- the historical and southern charm, the cobblestone-laid street, the antebellum mansions and the antiquated candy-manufacturing machines. I was probably not the only one going berserk buying salt water taffys and soft, warm pecan pies. We suddenly recalled some old friends of ours now lived some three hours inland of Savannah. It was too late and it was well out of the way. But, so what…we had no plans and we felt like it so we had to do it. We decided we would enter Smokies on the west or the center and drive directly to Gatlinburg the next day instead of entering from the east through Asheville. So we surprised our friends in Albany, GA with an unexpected late-night visit and spent the rest of the night reliving the old times.

A scrumptious lunch ended the Albany visit and commenced the Smokies trip. We drove till we made it all the way to Gatlinburg. Stopping on our way in Sylva, Cherokee and a few other mountain towns, we savored the Smokies. Spring was peeking from here and there, not fully, but in full bloom wherever. The focus that day was to reach Gatlinburg before unearthly hours and find a place to spend the night. We passed the highest point, Clingman’s Dome and Newfound Gap where we would come back to hike the next day. Clingman’s Dome was blanketed with clouds. Dense fog only allowed hazy, silhouetted views of the giant mountains and the heavy forests, making them mysteriously beautiful. Winding roads and thick woods with a dash of bright color here and there, made us anticipate what splendid view the next turn would bring. Waterfalls and streams sprinted out of the rocks from nowhere just as frequently as a twist in the road. The tunnels that we passed through, although nowhere nearly as long in comparison, reminded me of the incredibly long Alpine tunnels of Italy. Nothing felt better than a road trip!

A walk around quaint Gatlinburg at night let us observe how different the south was from anywhere else. Charming in it’s own way and well, different! Not as much late-night drinking or clubbing but still no less fun. Exploring the specialty shops and boutiques that housed very pretty and selected few southern specialties was a fun shopping experience. For my refrigerator magnets though, the countless shops filled with cheap tourist souvenirs made in China sufficed.

We checked out of our cabins to begin the next day with a drive to Clingman’s Dome and a few wonderful hikes. The 5-mile-or-so hike was, according to me, the most beautiful. The narrow trail had been formed by a stream attempting to cut its way through the Appalachian rocks. It meant walking on water all the way, literally!

Dense forest on one side and valley on the other, is all one could see. Half way through the trail we felt quite lost and debated if we should turn around to return or continue on to see if we hit some civilization. Meeting no soul on the way, we could hear nothing but the wind rustling through the trees and the sound of the flowing water. Carrying the GPS would have helped, maybe… We decided to continue a little further and then return before getting more lost. After walking a mile or so, we heard some familiar sound. Did we, really? Was it just an illusion? We walked in the direction of the sound till we found a couple of fellow-hikers resting on a rock and chit-chatting. It is with their help that we found the right way out and by the time we got back all the way to our car, we were exhausted. The day was almost over. A relaxing dinner with drinks felt heavenly. We found lovely, creek-side cabins to spend the night and ended the day listening to excellent live band music.

The next day had almost the same things but for the trails. We explored some new trails and sat by Little River that runs through the length of the Smoky Mountains National Park and gives rise to some very scenic views as it’s galloping water bounces over the rocks and through the flora. A number of tiny bridges at various spots along the road were meant to lead to some marvelous hiking trails.

I never wanted to head back home but isn’t it always true for any vacation place I visit? On our way back were newer and better scenic spot stops and roadside shanties for boiled peanuts, indian art and homemade jams and jellies.

I couldn’t believe Appalachians are older than the Himalayas! And would have continued to be taller than the Himalayas if it wasn't for the erosion that wore them off!